[R-390] My 2 cents regarding cleaning RF decks

[Shoppa, Tim]

"Me too" for the Kerosene, especially for blue/yellow stripers. (Not sure what level of cleanliness others are aiming for but removing the layers of grimed up sand was my priority.)

-----Original Message-----
From: r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:r-390-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of ToddRoberts2001 at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, March 10, 2011 11:21 AM
To: r-390 at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [R-390] My 2 cents regarding cleaning RF decks

I have always had good results over the  years by soaking an RF Deck
in a tub of Kerosene for several days.  Periodically I will swish around the
gears and shafts with a paintbrush or  toothbrush if needed to help loosen
the dried up grime. Let the Kerosene sit  for a day without disturbing it
at the end so the sand and grime will settle  to the bottom of the tub. A 
fresh
rinse with clean Kerosene at the end will  insure no sand or dirt remains.
The Kerosene can be recycled by pouring it  through a good filter.

Always be sure and remove the RF Deck  transformers  before soaking in 
Kerosene.
The transformers have the  small ceramic trimmers inside. The trimmers have
some kind of rubber or  plastic gasket inside that will swell up if soaked 
in
Kerosene for several  days. I found that out the hard way!

Otherwise the Kerosene appears to be  harmless to all other electronic
components like inductors, capacitors and  resistors plus the Kerosene is
non-conductive so it will not short out  anything or cause corrosion
like traces of water could do if left  behind.

After a good soaking I place the cleaned RF Deck on a towel in  front of a 
dehumidifier for a few days until it is bone dry then be sure to  lubricate 
all
moving parts, shafts and bearings with Mobil 1 Synthetic  
before and during reassembly and before use.

73 - Todd WD4NGG  

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